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So, it’s finally happened. You’ve been published in print. You have an actual book you can hold and touch and show to people and say, “I wrote this!”

First off, congratulations! Please take a moment–or several–to enjoy your accomplishment! I know I did. 🙂 Once you’re through basking, though, you might wonder, “What’s next?” Obviously, you want to promote your new book, and one of many ways to do that is to hold a book signing.

A book signing can take place at a bookstore, library, church, school, or any other location that has ties to your subject matter, such as a seminar on saving for retirement (if your book happens to include savvy financial advice) or a fundraiser for cancer research (if your book is focused on stories of cancer survivors). A book signing can be a nonprofit event, a for-profit event, or something in between. The choice is yours.

Once you’ve decided what type of book signing you want to do and where you’d like to do it, the next step is to write a proposal outlining your plans, and submit it to the venue you hope will host the event. That’s where this blog post comes in.

A few years ago, when The Dog Did What? and The Cat Did What? first came out, I traveled around from pet store to pet store, hoping to set up a nonprofit book signing to benefit an animal charity. One of the first responses I got: “Sounds great. Come back with a proposal.”

So I went home, hopped online, and did a search for “how to write a book signing proposal.” Given that there are ten BAZILLION examples of how to write query letters and cover letters and synopses and summaries and log lines and outlines and everything else a writer could possibly need to know in the business, I figured I’d find what I needed right away.

W-R-O-N-G. I found absolutely zero examples of how to write a proposal for a book signing event. That’s right, not ONE. It didn’t even seem to be a real thing. “A book signing proposal? What’s that?” the Google page seemed to ask, its digital eyebrows quirking in confusion.

Apparently, I was on my own. So, I looked up everything I could about writing other types of proposals. Most of what I found didn’t apply to my situation–I was a writer trying to land a book signing, not a construction company trying to undercut my competition’s lumber prices in order to win a contract. Eventually, I managed to skim the microscopic amount of actual, useful advice from the overwhelming river of info, and used it to create my own proposal, which I will share below.

But first, a few tidbits to get you started:

Address your proposal to a specific person, if possible (e.g. if you want to hold the event at a bookstore, find out who is in charge of events at that store and address it to that person)

Keep the length of your proposal to one page

Be as detailed as you can about what you want to do and why

Think of any questions the person receiving the proposal might have (e.g. “How much do the books cost?” or “What happens to unsold copies?”) and answer those questions in the proposal

And now, possibly for the first time on the Internet, here is an actual, real live example of how to write a book signing proposal. (And yes, you are MORE than welcome to use this as a template. Please do, in fact. It would make me happy to know that someone else benefited from my search engine-induced suffering.)

Book Signing Fundraiser Proposal – Nonprofit Organization

Dear Nonprofit CEO:

Greetings! My name is Gretchen Bassier, and I’m a local author interested in using my writing to give back to my community. This summer, two of my nonfiction stories were published in the books Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cat Did What? and Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Dog Did What? I would love to do a book signing to benefit an organization that cares about animals as much as I do.

As one of the authors, I can purchase the books for a special price of $7.50 each (in cases of twenty). Nonprofit organizations also have the option of purchasing the books themselves for only $5.00 per book (in cases of twenty). The books can be sold for any price you choose. (The official “list price” for the books is $14.95.)

If I purchase the books myself, then for each book sold at the fundraiser, I would receive the initial price I paid – $7.50 – and your organization would receive one hundred percent of the profits. After the signing, I would take home any unsold books for use at future events.

Alternately, if your organization purchases the books, then any unsold copies would remain with you, to be sold at future events and/or in your gift shop. I would, of course, do the book signing at no cost to you.

A book signing fundraiser would probably work best in conjunction with another event, such as a dog walk, golf outing, a vaccine clinic, or an adoption day. People already planning to attend the event will have an additional way to help out your organization (by buying a book – or two!), and the inclusion of the book signing might also draw in some people who wouldn’t otherwise have attended.

If I were holding a book signing at one of your events, I would promote the signing with flyers in the weeks leading up to the event, reach out to local media to help publicize the event, and have my publicist advertise the event on Facebook and Twitter. On the day of the signing, I would arrive at least half an hour before the start time and bring: a table, a chair, a tablecloth, markers and pens, business cards, a bowl of individually-wrapped mints, bottled water, display stands for the books, the books themselves (if I was the one designated to purchase them), and most likely a stack of bookmarks featuring the animals from my stories (to be used as a giveaway).

If you are interested in having me hold a signing at any of your future events, please let me know so I can have everything ready well in advance. Thank you for taking the time to consider my proposal, and I hope to have the opportunity to work with you and raise some money for our beloved critters!

Sincerely,
Gretchen Bassier

Phone number: XXX-XXXX Email: xxxx@yahoo.com

Thanks in part to the above proposal, I have now held two book signings to benefit Furget Us Not Rescue (go check out their adoptable animals!). I had a great time at both events, and I will have another post detailing what I learned from my first two book signing adventures.

Example of a flyer I created to advertise my first book signing

Once you’ve got your one-page proposal ready to go, here are a few useful items to put in the packet along with it:

A cover image of your new book

A press release or brief description of your book

Your business card

Not so hard, right? Just keep it simple, professional and informative, and I guarantee you’ll make a good first impression. Also, don’t forget to have FUN–you’re doing this to celebrate your new book. Cherish the moment, and all of the opportunities that go along with it.

Example of what happens when you let a friend borrow your camera during your book signing at PetSmart: random lizard pics!

So, hopefully now you know how to write a book signing proposal, to whom it should be addressed, and what should be included along with it. You even have a concrete example to use as a guide. So, what are you waiting for? Get your packet prepped, and get ready to sign some books!

Up next on ATHF: Long overdue TV reviews (I know, I know!), a baby shower idea that the writer in me just LOVES, and possibly some Potter-mania (we’ll see what happens at the release party tomorrow!)

So, it finally happened. That thing I’ve been dreaming about, striving for, and working my behind off to accomplish for the last several years. A few days ago, my story, “The Greatest Gift,” was officially selected for publication in the upcoming book, Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Cat Did What?

Thus, on August 19th, 2014 (that’s THIS year!), my writing will appear in print for the very first time.

Believe it or not, it’s actually hard for me to write those words. As a shy person with Asperger’s Syndrome, self-promotion is probably the most difficult aspect of writing I’ve faced so far. The way I was raised, you don’t brag about yourself and your accomplishments – you just plain don’t.

And yet, when you’re a writer, you almost kinda have to.

It’s just the way of the business. I know this. I accept it. But still I’ve continued to cling to my shyness like it’s my old, faded-blue security binky. Hardly any of my friends know that I am serious about writing. I think only two of them are aware that I’ve been published before. If you’re wondering how many of them know about this website, that number drops to one. For some reason, telling strangers about my writing life is actually easier than telling the people closest to me.

It’s not that I don’t WANT to tell my friends. I do! I fantasize about it, imagine their reactions, and feel my pulse-rate go up a few notches. But when I finally see them face-to-face, my courage always seems to scurry away like a spider trying not to get stepped on. I keep my head down, and when my friends ask what’s new in my life, I just smile and say, “Same old, same old. Nothing interesting here.”

But now, this book is coming out, and it’s a BIG deal. It’s my chance to show this really awesome publisher – and potential future ones – that I can successfully promote a book and generate some sales. With dreams of getting my novels published some day, I can’t afford to stay in my shell. I plan on attacking this challenge with the aggression of a hungry Grizzly Bear – seeking out opportunities for book signings and media coverage, using every connection I have, and yes, telling my friends and family about my story’s publication.

(Even if it means blushing furiously and ducking my head while I do it.)

Whatever results I get – positive or otherwise – you guys will be the first to know. 🙂